Keeper of the Flame
by Aufigir1
Summary: Life is like a flame. It burns to stay alive, bringing light and warm and sometimes, destruction. ...But what happens if that flame was taken away? [Chapter 5: The Songline]; Extended preview - author's apology for the delay...
1. The Beginning

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

_40 000 years before present-day; _

The sun was setting. The sky changed to the glow of red and orange, blending itself over with the the vast rusty desert below. Only the shadows of the trees and shrubs that stood out off the ground that made the difference between the earth and the sky.

For one lone man, it was a beautiful sight but sadly, it was to be his last.

He had walked on this great land for a very long time. Longer than any human that was born to this continent. His extended longevity was granted to him by the Flame as its Keeper. He still retained the same body, even after centuries. A bond was created between the man and this land. He could almost feel life that thrived through this ancient continent. The red deserts, its mighty rivers, cold blue mountains and vast black plains. Of both people and wildlife. Wandering the land from sea to sea, the lone man saw the beauty of the land and nature. From the smallest curiosities to the grandest wonders.

He met people along the way, tribes each country he traveled through. Most called him as 'The Keeper' while others referred to him by his original title, 'The Lone Fella'. Even before becoming the Keeper, the man was a wanderer. He didn't belong to any tribe nor did he stay in one place for too long and was always on the move through the land. He had his share of danger through his journeys but it didn't deter his love for this continent. It was one of the reasons why he was chosen.

He met spirits and strange mythical creatures, even gods and goddesses. Many of which he befriended while on other times fought against in the defense and protection of the good. But regardless, all respected this role for his sacred role.

But... there was one spirit however that needed to be dealt with. A creature of such evil and darkness that even spirits of the shadows feared it. Already too many people had fallen victim to this being and fell many others shuddering in fear of falling into the same fate of their brothers and sisters.

For the lone man knew what it wanted...

.

As the sky darkened, the stars appearing in the blanket of night as he waited. Waiting for _him_. The glow of the embers from the campfire flickered behind him as he watched the last of the sun's ray shine over the horizon. In the darkness of the bush, a shadowy figure appeared as it crept closer to the open.

"...So you finally came, _Kirroo_."

The creature then emerged from the shadow and into the light of the campfire. It stood twice as tall as the man, thin body covered in black from head to toe. Long arms with sharp claws at both ends and a thorn-like crown on its head. His face, there were only its hollow eyes and a mouth of sharp teeth. "_So we meet again, Flame Keeper or was it the Lone Wanderer_?" It said in a hissing manner. There was a strong ominous aura radiating out of the creature.

The man turned to the dark creature, maintaining a firm facade as he looked up to the corrupted being. "You don't have to do this."

Kirroo simply laughed, it sounded demoniac that it could easily scare a little child. "_You know what I want, my good friend. Give me the Flame or everything you swore to protect will be destroyed_."

"It was never your's to take," the man shouted out in defiance. "It never was and never will!"

The creature narrowed its eyes as it towered over him and glared him down. "_If that's how you're going to play with...then I'll shall destroy you first_!" Kirroo then suddenly swing his long arm over to the man. Its sharp claws dug into the red ground as the Keeper jumped out of the way, dodging the claw attack. "_You will never escape from me this time Keeper_!"

The Keeper looked up to the creature with burning eyes as he grabbed his spear. "Why are you doing this? You were an honourable leader and warrior. Why turn into _this_?!"

Kirroo laughed maniacally. "_The man you knew and fought is gone." The dark creature sneered with a smug. "He wished to be stronger but his desire for power was too great. So he sold his own spirit to the darkness_." This caused the lone man to gasp, only to narrowly miss a surprise shadow attack by the corrupted being from behind.

Landing on his feet, he let it go with a heavy sigh and he glanced up at Kirroo with determination burning in his eyes. His grip on the spear tightened and took a deep breath as he readied himself with a sad frown, "Then you leave me no choice."

As soon as the last sun ray faded away from the horizon, the dual started.

With only the campfire the source of light surrounding them, Kirroo took advantage of the darkness, disappearing into the shadows as the Keeper used all of his abilities as he tried to sense for the dark spirit. He only managed to duck another shadow attack from his right; the man tried to slash attack the dark creature with his spear but only managed to tear off a bit from its seemingly twig-like arm before a counterattack, causing him to lost grip of his spear.

With no weapon, he was in a vulnerable position as Kirroo towered over him. "_It's mine_!" He raised his claws and they launched onto the man. The Keeper jumped out of the way in time and the sharp claws instead hit the campfire. Kirroo immediately took aback his burnt claws in pain, sending embers flying into tall grasses and shrubs, igniting into flames.

With fire surrounding them, there was no escape. The lone man winced, he had to defeat this creature...and he was running out of time.

He spotted his spear behind Kirroo as the corrupt being stood over him with its eyes narrowed down menacingly at the man. The Keeper suddenly sprinted, dodging shadow spikes and attacks from the dark creature. He slid across the dusty red ground, grabbing his spear and immediately made a slash attack as he turned around to Kirroo, with a deep gash across the creature's chest.

Kirroo stepped back as it yelled in pain. The man then grabbed a large burning stick from the ground and faced the dark spirit. "I'm very sorry, my friend." He threw the burning stick into Kirroo's opened wound and soon his body was burning in dark flames, reducing it into black ashes.

It was finally over. The Keeper had done his last duty. The flames and the campfire died down into small glowing embers around him. He started to feel weak and...light. He looked down at his hand as it started to fade away like sand into the cool breeze. The man took his last moment to look up to the starry night and close his eyes.

In truth, he had already given up his title as the Keeper long before this confrontation and passed down the Flame of Life to another person...someone more deserving for the title and responsibilities that it carried. "You're safe now, child..." The Lone Wanderer whispered as he faded away to the wind, knowing that the Flame was safe.

...Or so he hoped.

.

.

.

"Do you think that I can do this?"

"That depends entirely up to you, child."

Deep within the cool, thick bushlands surrounded by the tall eucalyptus trees, a young boy who looked no older than a toddler looked down at the flicking light of a tiny flame in his hands. It was a special flame, the Flame of Life as the spirits and elders called it. It had a pleasant warm feeling that tinged on his skin and through his veins almost like a heartbeat. It was the only light source around the young boy and his grey friend, even with the moon shining behind the branches of leaves.

"I don't know. This...'Keeper' duty sounds very important." The child sighed, "I'm not sure if I'm the right person for this..."

His glare-eyed grey friend climbed down from the tree branch and jumped onto the ground next to the young child. "Don't doubt yourself. The Keeper won't have given you the Flame of Life without good reason. You are the 'child of the Dreamtime', are you not?"

"Yes but..." The young boy sighed, his eyes reflected the light of the Flame on his hands. "...what if I made a mistake and messed up? What if I fail..?"

"Well, this isn't the outgoing and daring _gurung_ that I was somehow befriended to... You'll be able to this. You are a special one like your _wiyanga_ after all." The young boy's grey friend assured him.

The young boy smiled, "Thanks." He then took a deep breath and exhaled. He stood up to his feet, careful with the tiny flame in his hands, he let the Flame sink into his hands and a sudden surge of warmth rushed through the young boy's body. His eyes momentarily glowed with a flickering warm light. "Come on then, _wiyanga _is waiting for us." He picked his grey friend up into his arms and ran off back to the campsite.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**_Translation:_**  
_Kirroo_ = cold (sounds fitting for the character)  
_gurung_ = child  
_wiyanga_ = mother

This is actually a rewrite version of this fic, which I started almost two years ago. I had been planning to this for a very long time but due to procrastination and self-doubt, it's only now that I got around to do this.

Anyway, this is a Hetalia fiction story that will focused around Australia and the Aboriginal mythology, as well as New Zealand (female) along with America, Canada and England. Hints of pairings, mainly AUS/NZ (though fyi, I'm not a regular shipper). Supernatural and adventure, maybe a bit of dark with history and mythological spirits added into the mix. Second chapter will be soon!


	2. The Story

**Chapter 2: The Story**

_Present Day_

It was a clear night. In the bushlands away from the city lights, the stars appeared in the millions, filling the blanket of the dark sky as they twinkled with the moon dazzling its light. Almost like a painting. A cool breeze blew by, rattling leaves of the tall eucalyptus trees that surrounded the home of a certain Nation.

Australia or Jack as he was known to his friends; both Nation and human, had brought along his younger sister, Wy to his main country home just outside of Canberra. Both siblings were sitting around a campfire in the backyard just outside of the house. Finishing a pack of marshmallows and damper bread Jack had made earlier. His pet koala was up on a branch of a gum tree, already asleep. It wasn't often that Jack had the time to spend family time with Wy. His schedule was always busy with work; meetings, diplomatic visits from high-profile guests, fixing issues inside and outside of Parliament. All the things and duties that a Nation was expected to do.

_At least Boss decided to give me a day off_. Jack quietly thought to himself, smiling before he felt a nudge from his younger sister.

"Hey Jack, Do you have any more Dreamtime stories to tell?" While she did find her older brother to be annoying at times, Wy had always enjoyed listening to Australia's stories from the Dreamtime every now and then.

"Any more Dreamtime stories, you say?" Jack went over his thoughts, trying to think of one. "Hm... I think I've told you all of them, Wy."

His younger sister pouted in disappointment, "There has to be some stories that you haven't told me. There must be a huge lot of them!"

Australia simply sighed. As of lately, Jack had been digging deep into his roots. Reconnecting with his ancient heritage. A heavy burden sat over his shoulder for the mistreatment committed by his people towards the Aboriginal people. For almost abandoning his own Aboriginal heritage. _And memories..._ All of which pained him with guilt. The scar across the bridge of his nose was a reminder of that, but he had since came to terms with the past and was doing all he could to close that gap. If not, slowly. _First steps towards healing..._

Wy however still maintained that pouting look on her face, "...What about that story you and that visiting Elder were talking about the other day?"

Jack flinched out of his thoughts from the Micronation's suggestion, "That story? ...Wy, were you eavesdropping us?" He raised an eyebrow to his younger sister. Wy's cheeks suddenly flushed a bit in red, "N-no! ...Well yes...kinda." She crossed her arms in a rather awkward but grumpy matter as she huffed. Much to Jack's amusement. She then sighed, "...It sounded like a great story through..."

The Nation nodded but however sighed, "It is and it's more than just a story. But sadly...as much as I would like to tell you, I can't."

"Oh c'mon Aussie! Can't we get away with one story?" Wy whined to her brother. Although she usually acts like a matured girl as she consider herself to be, she still was a young girl who looked like she had only just entered into her preteen years.

Jack sighed, before giving a thought about it. "Well... I suppose I could. But...you must know firstly that this is not just any story like the ones I've already told you before. It is hardly ever been told...let alone been heard of! Only very few elders know this story, alright?"

Wy nodded as she moved closer towards her brother. She had a feeling that this particular story was sacred than any of the others. _Must be an exciting one too!_

The Nation smiled before taking a deep breath, recalling his thoughts of the story. "This peculiar Dreamtime story is known nowadays as the 'Keeper of the Flame' and the story starts thousands and thousands of years into the land's ancient past..."

.

_...before the first humans set foot onto the land, there was virtually no life on this continent.  
_

_No light or warmth. _

_The land was covered under darkness and was very cold for anything to grow and survive.  
But eventually, the cold darkness gave way to the sun and life started to grow wherever the sunrays touched.  
The continent was soon thriving with all of nature's goodness with animals and plant life.  
Shaping the landscape across the land and its life cycle._

_And with this newly flourished life, came a flame._

_No one knows where this mysterious flame came from.  
__It baffled the great spirits but all for certainly;  
__this tiny flame had a strong spiritual connection with the continent.  
__It was tied with the life that thrives across the land._

_The Flame of Life as it was soon called._

_This also brought concern for the spirits if the Flame was to be left on its own;  
It could become uncontained and bring about destruction across the land.  
Or wither and die, reversing the continent back into its lifeless state._

_The Flame had a strong connection with the physical reality, so no spirit was able to hold it.  
So it was then decided, to find a Keeper who was worthy to be withhold the sacred flame.  
A game was set up..._

.

"A game? You mean a competition, right?" Wy asked, intrigued with where the story was going so far. Australia smiled, "Yes, or at least that's what they told me. Anyway..."

.

_...news soon spread of this sacred game as men from every tribe across the continent came together to compete.  
Trials and matches were set up to test these men for their skills, strength and worthiness.  
This game lasted for days, weeks some say and soon, there were only two men left._

_One of them was a hunter from a tribe of strong skilled men.  
Men from that tribe took pride in their hunting skills and resilience against the harshness of the land they roamed on.  
So it came to no surprise that the tribe's strongest and most skilled Hunter was able to reach this far in this game._

_The other man, however, was a surprise to many.  
An unusual person as this one did not belong to any tribe  
Nor did anyone know of his origins.  
He wanders the land alone and if he stayed in one place, he did not stay there for too long.  
No one knew his name, but was known by many as the 'Lone Wanderer'. _

_For the final trial of this sacred game, it was a duel between the Hunter and the Wanderer.  
Whoever wins this duel will ultimately become the Keeper of the Flame._

_At the break of dawn, the duel begun._

__Wielded with their spears and wooden shield, i_t took the Hunter by surprise of the Wanderer's capabilities.  
Their fighting skills were equally matched.  
The Wanderer was able to counter the Hunter's every move with agility.  
But strength was in the Hunter's favour.  
As the duel continued, however it started to become very rough and brutal..._

_With his patience withering, the Hunter became heavy handed with his attacks and became blinded for his desire to win.  
The Wanderer struggled to keep up with his opponent's brutal attacks.  
He narrowly missed being stabbed several times during their duel.  
He was soon disarmed and knocked down onto the ground by the Hunter as his opponent raised his spear onto him.  
Knowing that he could not do anymore, the Wanderer forfeited the match._

_With the duel over, everyone expected the Hunter to be granted the Flame of Life.  
But the spirits had already decided among themselves and declared that;  
the Lone Wanderer was the chosen Keeper._

_This caught everyone by surprise. Even the Wanderer did not expect this outcome._

_The spirits explained of how the Hunter was brutal with his actions and lacked restraint to his desires and desperation.  
He lacked what was required to wield hold the Flame and therefore was not worthy of the title and responsibilities.  
The Wanderer on the other hand, his decision to forfeit was a noble act and he had a rich knowledge and understanding  
of people and land to which the Flame sustained._

_With this decision, the Lone Wanderer was given the Flame and was formally granted as the Keeper of the Flame.  
As the Flame's Keeper, the Wanderer carried it within his body;  
keeping it safe and sustaining it as he returned back to his nomadic ways._

_._

"So...that's the end of the story?" Wy asked, raising an eyebrow to her older brother.

To which Jack chuckled, "No actually. That's only the beginning of it! You see Wy..."

_._

_...the Hunter was very upset and furious with the decision.  
He won the final trial of the sacred games after all!  
He did not understand why he was not chosen nor why was he declared 'unworthy' to carry the Flame._

_Weeks went by since that day, while on a hunting trip for food; the Hunter was approached by a witch doctor.  
The witch doctor claimed that he could give the same power as the Flame of Life does._

_At first, the Hunter was skeptical of this claim.  
However his frustration over the decision still lingered and his desire was tempting him.  
So the Hunter decided to oblige with the witch doctor's offer and followed him._

_On the dead of night, the witch doctor, using black magic, performed a ritual to summon the spiritual essence of the earth.  
This was then endowed into the Hunter's body in hopes of creating the same power like the Flame._

_However...something went terribly wrong.  
As more spirits processed into the Hunter's body, the magic became corrupted.  
And soon the spiritual essence within the Hunter became dark and took over him;  
Transforming him into something far more terrible._

_Once the transformation was complete, he turned towards the witch doctor and ate him.  
The once warrior then returned back to his tribe's camp and ate everyone._

_The former proud warrior was gone and from that day on he was known as;  
Kirroo...the dark soul eater._

_._

Wy's eyes widened in awe and became even more engrossed with the story so far, "So what happened next then? Did the Wanderer do anything with Kirroo?"

"Don't worry, I'm getting there!" Jack smiled reassured his younger sister, "Now where was I..?"

.

_Word soon spread about this new dark cold creature.  
Wherever Kirroo wandered, any form of life around the corrupted being withered away.  
Consuming the living essence of his victims.  
__His presence struck fear and dread through every man and spirit alike.  
__Many warriors and spirits had tried to stop to this dark creature, only to eaten by him.  
__It only added to Kirroo's taste for living souls._

_The Lone Wanderer, by then known as the Keeper, received word of this being's presence.  
He did his best to restore lands corrupted by Kirroo, however he could not restore those who were lost.  
The Keeper made every effort he could to protect both men and spirits from the cold dark being and his desire for power._

_But deep down, he knew exactly what Kirroo wanted;  
he was after the Flame of Life._

_It would be several seasons of drought and floods that the Keeper and Kirroo would cross path._

_No one knew how this confrontation went.  
But what they did know was that it occurred right before sunset.  
The Keeper waited at his campsite for Kirroo's arrival.  
He knew too well that if Kirroo successes in gaining the Flame, life on the continent will be eradicated to his dark influence.  
Eventually Kirroo arrived in the midst of the shadows and once the last of the sunrays faded, the duel started._

_Kirroo used the darkness surrounding the campsite to his advantage.  
The Keeper, with his legendary agility, blocked every attack the dark creature threw at him.  
During the fight, embers from the campfire were suddenly thrown off and a bushfire erupted around them._

_Just when Kirroo was about to claim triumph, the Keeper with his spear sliced Kirroo's hollow body open!  
He grabbed a burning stick and threw it into the creature's body.  
It soon burnt Kirroo from the inside out until he was nothing more than ashes._

_It was finally done, the Keeper had defeated Kirroo.  
And soon, afterwards he vanished.  
Never to be seen again._

_._

"Wait...the Keeper's vanished? But then what happened to the Flame? Doesn't the Keeper continue on with his duty?" Wy asked, puzzled by the end of this Dreamtime story. Australia however smiled knowingly, "Spot on but that's the thing! You see Wy, by the time the Keeper confronted Kirroo, he was no longer the Keeper of the Flame."

Wy perked up to her older brother surprised, "What?! You mean he gave up the role?!"

"Well yes. But he did not just give up the Flame," Jack added. "He hid the Flame away. Kirroo at the time of the fight didn't know that the Keeper no longer carried the Flame within him."

The Micronation nodded, "So wait...if the Keeper hid the Flame then where it is now?"

"Nobody knows, Wy with only a very few elders knowing what had become of the Flame," Australia shrugged, "Some say that the Keeper returned the Flame to the land while others say that he passed it on to a spirit or to a new Keeper! However as the time went by, the Flame of Life and the story of the Keeper soon became myths... No one's sure whether the Flame of Life even exists at all!"

Wy nodded, "Well...I think the Flame is real if the story is true. It sounds very important not to be if you ask me." She shrugged before she let out a loud sleepy yawn.

The older Nation chuckled, "Why not you head back inside and have a knock off. I'll put out the fire, alright?" She smiled tiredly and stood up, stretching herself before dragging herself to the house, "That was a great story, Jack. We should do this again...next time."

"Just remember not to tell anyone else this. It is a very special Dreamtime story, ok?" Jack smiled.

Wy returned the gesture tiredly, "G'night, Jack."

"G'night, Wendy." Australia smiled as he watched his younger sister head back inside the house. For a moment, he felt a sudden surge of warmth within himself. He held his chest over his heart as the warmth swelled through his body with a pleasant pulse.

"If you only knew..."

He let the campfire burn itself off until its embers eventually died down. Looking up to the sky, he could see the Southern Cross as he stretched out his arms and legs, letting himself be bathed by the moonlight. Closing his eyes and took the moment of serenity.

"._..An excellent story you have there. But there is more to the ending than what it seems..._"

Jack's eyes snapped open when he heard the cold hissing voice. A chill suddenly shivered through his spine. _No... It can't be... _He slowly turned around towards the voice and soon was face to face with _him_.

"_It's a pleasure to finally meet you...Keeper._"

* * *

**Author's note:**

Yes. Finally posted this up! University works were getting in the way but I did it!

Just two things to say about this chapter:  
1) With Wy, she is said to be childish despite showing herself as 'mature' compared to other Micronations.  
2) And the supposedly Dreamtime story about the 'Keeper of the Flame' is absolutely 100% fictional (AKA not real)! It was made specifically for the sake of this fic. I tried to be close to how Dreamtine stories were told.

Next chapter may take a bit longer to be post up soon. But enjoy!


	3. The Confrontation

**Chapter 3: Confrontation**

"No, i-it can't be!" Jack stuttered as he stepped back. Dread filled the Nation as the creature's dark shadow casted over him. A cold aura radiated out of this creature. "_It's a pleasure to finally meet you...Keeper_." The dark being hissed with a cold grin, revealing its sharp fangs as it towered over the Nation.

Jack simply froze. He could only mutter one word."Kirroo."

The corrupted being chuckled, "_So you haven't forgotten about me then, Keeper~_"

"B-but...he _destroyed_ you! The Wanderer defeated you thousands of years ago!" Jack exclaimed in shock._You shouldn't even be alive!_

The dark creature cackled as he creaked closer to the Nation. It was then that Jack noticed that Kirroo did not have a solid form; more of a ghostly shadow as its cloak of darkness surrounded the Australian, causing the already present cold to plummet even further. Jack could feel a burst of warmth within him to counter it. "_That foolish Wanderer thought an ordinary fire can destroy me.A spiritual guide like him should have known that greater spirits such as I will not simply burn like wood. It takes a *special* flame to do such thing_," Kirroo quipped in a surprisingly quiet voice. It only made him even more sinister.

Jack backed away when the creature's claws came too close to him. "I...I know what you want and there is no way you are getting your hands on it!" He snapped backat the towering dark creature. His inner warmth pulsed greatly in response.

"_Such as a bold one, aren't you Keeper?_" Kirroo chirped darkly in amusement. He circled the Australian, examining him. "_I must admit, I did not expect this. A white man holding the sacred Flame of Life as its vassal...but perhaps_," he crept closer to Jack, over his shoulder. "_Time has changed you, like it has to everything and everyone on this continent_."

Jack stood onto his ground as he eyed on Kirroo with narrowed eyes. However his attention then turned to a room on the top floor of the house which had its lights turned on. A shadow of the young girl inside could be seen on the closed curtains over the window. _Wy..._ The Australian almost muttered her name out, breaking cold sweat.

Kirroo sensed this from the Nation. "_Oh there is no need for worry. I have no interest for your little "sibling", Keeper_." He whispered over his ear,_"...At least for now_."

Jack gritted his teeth while a deadly burning glare at the corrupt being, however unaware that the cold darkness surrounding him was creeping ever so closer to him; particularly his feet. Dark grin appeared from Kirroo, "_Why not we have this conversation somewhere...private?_"

Before Jack could react, he was suddenly grabbed by his ankles by the cold shadows around him, causing him to stumble onto the ground before hastily dragged away into the dark surrounding bushland. He was then tossed off over a small rocky ledge and hit his back onto the thick trunk of a large tree. Falling onto his knees and groaning in pain. For a moment, he felt his inner warmth pulsing..._burning_ within him as the temperature plummets as Kirroo emerged from the shadows. Once again, towering over the Nation. The moonlight was the only source of light in this part of the bushland.

"_Now then, we can have this quick and easy or the hard way, Keeper_." Kirroo demanded.

Australia however tsked as he wincingly stood up onto his feet before a smirk when he looked up to face the corrupted being, "It'll take more than a toss to take me down. If you want it, then you'll have to fight me before you can get their claws on it!"

Kirroo returned with a cold dark smirk with his fangs showing and eyes curled with delight and eagerness. "_A challenge, I accepted_."

His sharp claws, for a brief moment shined from the moonlight, suddenly lunged onto the Australian. Jack just narrowly dodged the attack, leaving slash marks onto the old tree trunk as he rolled away through the ground .Kirroo however was quick to make another move, a downward slash by a blade made of shadow before conjuring spears to lunge towards the Nation.

All of which missed the Nation as Jack managed to firstly jumped away from the blade attack before criss-crossing his way through the rough grounds of bushland around to dodge the multiple spear attacks. He just narrowly ducked an inch away from a spear that pierced through a tree and stumbling a bit. He managed to get up onto his feet in time before Kirroo suddenly extended his arm for another claw attack.

Jack leaned heavily behind a tree for a moment to catch his breath and cursing himself. _He's stronger than I thought._

"_You can run all you can,_" Kirroo cackled with a smugly smile. "_But you can't hide from me anymore_, _Keeper_!"

Australia was suddenly lifted away from his hiding spot by a conjured shadow tentacle before being smacked down hard onto the ground. He winced as he tried to get back up, spitting out dry leaves from his mouth. Cuts and bruises he received quickly healed away. His inner warmth was now thumping alongside with his heartbeat from the adrenaline.

"_Is this the best that you can do, Keeper?_"Kirroo laughed, creeping closer to the Nation with his shadow casted over him. "_I shouldn't be surprised that a Nation would be the Flame's Keeper. But oh, how time has changed. There used to be so many of your kind in the land,one for every tribe. Very mysterious beings. Time seemed so meaningless to your kind... I remembered one particular fella, a strong one, a great teacher...before one of his pupil turned his back on him and the tribe."_

"Yea? What about him?" Jack asked, wincing as he tried getting himself up. Picking up a large broken tree branch behind him.

"_Oh you already know the story, Keeper_. _They were all EATEN_." Kirroo cackled. Jack was visibly shocked before gritting his teeth . The corrupted chuckled as he continued, _"But, even without my presence, time seemed to be catching up with your kind... The winds of change they may say...especially with the arrivals of the white men_." His hissing voice sleekier, "_One by one, they disappeared...until only one remained...You._"

Kirroo then turned towards Jack. Its sleek eyes glowed with an ominous aura, unnerving the Nation. "_I had doubts about you carrying the Flame. A white child...so mistreated and manipulated in the hands of the white man all because you were...a convict colony. Part of an Empire whose home country was so far away, yet so widespread, they conquered and destroyed everything they the land in their vision, even if that meant turning a blind eye and destroy what was already there._"

Australia couldn't help but bite back his tongue by the truth. He remembered not-so-fondly of his early life as the British colony to punish convicts, his relationship with Arthur and his struggle to find his place in the world... All the while neglecting his own ancient heritage in favour of other foreign flavours that eventually influenced the choices he made and the person who he was today.

_And I got caught in all of that. _He shook off that thought. There was far more at stake. His hand tightened on the large broken branch behind his back.

Kirroo begun to creep closer as the air around him shivered to near freezing temperatures. "_Nevertheless, it does not matter. I have found the Flame...within you, my dear Keeper. I have waited too long for this moment...and I shall claim it!_"

His sharp black claws rushed towards the Nation once again from above. Jack managed to dodge the first claw before knocking away the second one with the tree branch. "Like I said before, mate! You'll have to fight me first before you can get your bloody hands on it!" Australia shouted out, his hand gripped the tree branch tightly.

"_Truth be told, Keeper_." Kirroo laughed, "_It won't be much of a fight_."

It wasn't long until both the Nation and the corrupted creature were once again engaged in a tense battle.

Now with a better sense of the dark creature's movements, Jack was able to counter or dodge whatever attacks Kirroo threw at him. He jumped away from one shadow attack to his side and from another to his other side before diving away from a strike above him. He then rolled through the ground onto his knee before using the tree branch to block a claw attack as he came face to face with Kirroo. His blazing green eyes met with Kirroo's glowing pupils of the abyss.

"_Quite a fighter you are..._" Their attacks equally countered, "..._Not quite the warrior like your predecessors_."

Jack managed to push the corrupted being back, "I wasn't trying to."

They continued to duel in this fight with Kirroo actively in the offensive and Australia, in defence. The Nation struggled to find an opening to make an attack onto the corrupted as he blocked shards threw at him with the tree branch, only to have one shard cut through his hand. He winced at the cold needle-piercing like sensation that crept up though his arm and back as he bit back an urge to yell in pain.

He glared on the dark creature with fury. His inner warmth was building with each adrenaline, like a fire through his body.

Australia rolled aside as Kirroo's long sharp claw dug onto the ground where he stood a moment ago. Only to realise that it was stuck. The Nation saw his chance to finally make a move.

He immediately flipped back to dodge a wave of shards thrown at him by Kirroo, remarks how those years of army training were paying off before he dashed towards the dark creature in such unnatural speed. Dodging every attack thrown at him, even claw attacks as soon as Kirroo freed his stuck arm by jumping off and with the broken tree branch, he slashed the corrupted being across the face; breaking the tree branch by the forcebefore kicking the creature then the ground with a loud thud.

Australia could make out Kirroo's shadowy figure, blending with the ground, even under the moonlight. At that point, he was burning inside with each heartbeat. "How do you like that, ah Kirroo?" He panted from the adrenaline.

For a moment, there was no respond or movement from the shadowy being as he slowly approached the creature with caution.

Only for Kirroo's eyes to suddenly snap open with a startling glow.

Jack suddenly found himself surrounded and was then grabbed by conjured tentacle-like shadows as they wrapped him with such tight force, bringing the Nation down onto his knees. The cold touch made his skin shiver and that it sent a shock-like chill up his spine. He wincingly glanced up to Kirroo as the dark being stood up. He struggled to escape from his binds but could barely even loosen its grip.

"_And I was expecting so much from you, Keeper!_" He cackled as he rose up from the ground. The slash mark Jack left on his mask-like face slowly closed itself.

Jack gritted his teeth. _Damnit..._

"_You're a stubborn one...resistant perhaps, but stubborn at the core. I see why they call you the rebellious one...a wild child. A useful trait though, against your enemies_," Kirroo remarked amusingly.

Jack tsked as he tried to get out of his bind, "I get that a lot apparently."

"So it seems," Kirroo cackled amusingly, "But with all those...experiences and your ancient age... You are so inexperienced as a Keeper and your naivety...so idiotically childish. Even for a Nation...I wonder..."

Jack frowned, his eyes narrowed darkly.

Kirroo however, there was a peculiar glance from the being as he eyed on the trapped Nation,_"You've lost your touch, haven't you? ...Your own connection to your heritage. You've severed your own line from the Dreaming, haven't you Keeper?"_

Jack felt something snapped inside him.

Kirroo glanced at him, his "eyes" widened slightly before he let out a maniac laugh, "_I shouldn't be surprised! After all, what did you do with these ancient people? Your people tried to 'assimilate' them...imposing their own rules and denying the ancient people's way of living...even you played a part in all that!_"

The Nation glared at the corrupted being with pierced eyes as his inner warmth continued to build up into a shirring heat against the coldtouch of the shadows binding his body. His eyes glowed ever slightly brighter.

"..._You don't deserve the sacred Flame, Keeper_..."Kirroo continued, as his claws came closer towards the Nation's chest.

Jack felt the build up of heat within him, hinged.

"..._You failed your duty as its Keeper_..." The dark creature's claw only inches away. "..._And as their Nation_."

Everything stopped within almost in a heartbeat, a sudden burst of burning flame exploded from the Nation. Almost like a fireball, bursting out of his shadow binds and knocking back Kirroo onto the ground.

"_What?!_" Kirroo did not expect the Nation to be capable of such ability.

Jack did not expect this either. There was a burning aura visibly if faintly radiating around the Nation as the fire dies down, pulsing with his every deep breath and heartbeat. Looking at his hands, they were glowing, almost, with the flaming aura. He felt like burning inside, neither in pain nor exactly in rage. But in this...energy; this renewed inner strength...power...passion... _Spirit._

_So this is what it's like to firebend_. He smirked to himself mentally. But outside it was a serious frown as he turned back to Kirroo.

"I may not have done my duty as the Flame's Keeper...but don't you _dare_ say that I failed my commitment as this country's Nation!" He snapped loudly with burning eyes. "Yes, I have made regrettable decisions in the past…but that doesn't mean I have given up in correcting those wrongs. Starting with _you_, Kirroo! And finish off what the first Keeper was set to do all those millenniums ago!"

Kirroo stood up, hissing aggressively at the Nation as his slit eyed glowed in a sinister aura. Dark shards conjured around him and flew straight for the Nation. Jack managed to roll away before throwing a wave of flame with a swing of his arm and burnt the rest of the incoming shards. Kirroo slammed his claws onto the ground, sending a wave of thorn pillars towards the Nation. Jack countered it when he punched the ground hardly with a more powerful wave of fire. Incinerating the dark pillars and causing Kirroo to back off.

Jack had to admit, his newly discovered fire powers were overwhelming. He was literally burning inside. But there was no time to linger... He had to end this now.

"_So you've finally unlocked the sacred Flame's abilities now, Keeper_..." Kirroo growled harshly.

Jack smirked, "Not fun to be in the other end now, ah?" He threw a jet stream of fire at the corrupted being.

Kirroo easily dodged this, his body dispersing away from the flame attack. "_We shall see how well you will do with the Flame's power!_"

Once again, the corrupted being and the Nation engaged in battle. Only this time, it was far more intense than ever before. _And the stakes were higher now too_. Jack gritted his teeth as he dodged his way from spears thrown at him by Kirroo. His new fire abilities had also boasted his agility and instincts.

A blade appeared again in Kirroo's claw, slashing left and right, all of which Jack was managed to dodge easily with his boasted speed. The shadow blade then went downwards for a final slash attack. But just before it could do so, Jack clapped his burning hands at the blade; incinerating the shadow blade away and burning off Kirroo's claw. The Nation immediately then punched out a fireball at Kirroo. The dark creature dodged the attack with ease. His body turning into mist-like smoke and dispersed away. His eyes glowed menacingly as he glared at the Nation.

The creature's body suddenly sinks into the ground, the dark shadows around Australia. Jack tried to find the creature's dark shadow under the moonlight, before his feet suddenly pulled down and was forced onto the ground by the binding shadows once again, more tightly this time. He saw KIrroo re-emerged in front of him, his sharp cold claws just inches away from him. The Nation's dry green eyes went ablaze and freed himself in a powerful blast of fire from his shadow binds.

Pumping from the adrenaline and his aura burning, Jack turned to the corrupted being. Parts of Kirroo's shadowy body and limbs burnt however, they all repatched themselves almost immediately afterwards.

Australia cursed himself as his aura dies down slightly. _This bastard just won't go down..._

"_Oh, don't be so surprised_." Kirroo chirped, "_After all, you and I are alike_."

"_Us_, alike? Now you're just pulling my leg." Jack deadpanned with a spat.

"_Do you not see it, Keeper?_" Kirroo cackled, "_My existence now is very much the product of the people here in this continent as is your existence as their Nation!_"

Jack angrily gritted his teeth and glared at the being before throwing another punch of fireball and a slash of flames with a swing of his right leg. Kirroo dodged the first fireball attack, however the flame slash cut off his arm into ashes. Kirroo stumbled seemingly in pain at first in pain before laughing.

"_Foolish, Keeper_," His eyes curled upward as he looked up at the Nation. His burnt arm regrew itself back. "_I'm not just a mere spirit anymore...I'm far more than that. I'm everything that you __**FEAR**_." His regrown claw continued to grow. The tips of his sharp finger grew longer and reaped onto the ground; spreading its cold infectious shadow and surrounding.

Jack tried to back away before quickly surrounding himself in a circle of fire with a spin of his legs; setting ablaze and incinerating the shadows around him away.

Kirroo chuckled, "_Let me put it simple, Keeper. In my ash form, drifting through the continent, I had nothing to feed on to regain my form. But those white men came in their ships and brought...*change* to this continent. I found a new source to feed on_." His grin showed his sharp teeth as his ghostly form seemed to glow with an ominous aura. "_All those emotions and thoughts that those white men brought. Greed. Deception. Corruption. Betrayal. Temptation. Envy. Cruelty. Rage. Destruction! They gave me new strength...__**power**__! Even in this ghostly form...I am now the strongest spirit in this land! __**No one can stop me. Not even you, Keeper**__!_"

Jack gritted his teeth, "Not without me having a say to that, you monster!"

"_Don't be so foolish, Keeper_." Kirroo quipped when a ball of dark energy manifested in his sharp thin claws and threw it towards the Nation.

It exploded and sent dust and dirt all over where the Nation stood in a plume of smoke. When it cleared, Jack was not there. Kirroo narrowed his eyes and searched for the Nation, only for a fireball threw at him from behind by the determined Nation. It did made damage on the dark creature but they all immediately healed themselves away.

The fight continued on as the Nation and the dark creature continued to throw blow after blow at each other. All cuts or bruises were quickly healed away; Kirroo for his ethereal form and Jack, his fire abilities boasted up his healing capabilities as a Nation.

However as the fight dragged on, it begun to take a physical toll onto Australia; stumbling onto the ground after a hard slap from Kirroo's swing attack. He struggled to get up onto his knee.

_I need to end this... _He thought, panting heavily with sweat on his forehead. _...If I don't...Kirroo will wreak havoc to everything and everyone on this country and in the Dreamtime. _He could feel his inner warmth...the Sacred Flame inside...pulsing, _burning_, in response to his thought as the Nation stood up.

Clouds overshadowed the moon and stars in the night sky.

Kirroo laughed at the battered state of Jack despite the Nation's efforts not to show his pain. "_Give up, Keeper! Your efforts of preventing the possession of the Sacred Flames from my hands are useless._"

"I am not giving up that easily, you should know that by now mate." Australia panted. There was a build-up of heat and power within him as the firey aura around him pulsed brighter and more frequently with each breath. "...Until my very last breath!" In a snap, Jack suddenly dashed forward towards Kirroo in lightning speed and jumped high into the air. The Nation, with then unleashed his most powerful fire attack at the dark creature, with huge jet streams of flames.

Kirroo screamed hellishly as he drowned in flames.

Smoke and the smell of burning wood surrounded the grounds.

Jack landed on his feet. He panted; his heart was pounding and the Flame burning through him like fire. For a moment he thought he had defeated the dark being. However that thought was quickly dashed when he saw Kirroo's figure still standing through the smoke.

"_What?!_" His eyes widened in shock and dread.

Kirroo smirked evilly, "_**It's mine**_."

* * *

**_Author's note:_**

Yes! Oh my gosh...I've finally finished this chapter! It took me far longer to complete this, mainly because university studies got in the way of things...

Anyway, cliffhanger! This is where the story really starts!  
Kirroo's dialogues here are deliberately brutal to push Australia too far into the extreme, regarding to his taunts on how Australia's past history and loss of memory about his heritage...

I'll admit, the fire bending fights were quite fun to write. hehe

Hope you enjoy and stay tune for the next chapter! (hopefully it will done more quickly than this chapter...)


	4. The World Meeting

**Chapter 4: The World Meeting**

_Next day_.

The World Meeting was held at Canberra, the national capital of Australia. There was half-an-hour to go until the meeting starts and there were still many people yet to arrive at the conference centre that sat by the shores of the Lake Burley Griffin, the middle of the Australian Capital.

Waiting outside, Arthur Kirkland or England couldn't help but notice the sudden change of weather as dark clouds gathered over the city capital and the wind suddenly picking up. "Odd, the forecast said that it was supposed to be clear skies today…" The Englishman remarked, looking up to the greying sky. There was an ominous mood about them.

"Relax, dude." England felt a hard slap on the back by a certain loud American. "You know how weird and freaky Aussie's weather is here," Alfred F Jones, the United States of America or simply America, said as he loudly slurped a smoothie.

Arthur frowned, "Yes, yes. I've been here many times before. …But something doesn't feel right."

"It's probably nothing," Alfred waved it off, "Come on let's get inside before the rain hits!"

"Alright… But you're not taking that drink inside the conference room," England sighed reluctantly as he followed the American inside the building.

"Oh by the way, have you seen Mattie?"

"Alfred… I'm right here…" Canada said out of nowhere, with Kumajairo in his arms.

Both America and England jumped in shock.

.

Outside the meeting room, New Zealand or Zea, impatiently paced around the hallway while briefly looking at her watch as she waited for her Australian neighbour and sibling. "For crying out loud, where the hell is he?!" She exclaimed to herself and wondering where the Australian was. As the host Nation, he should have been one of the first Nations to arrive at the conference centre and yet there was no sign of him anywhere. _He's never been this late before…_

As if on cue, she heard footsteps hurrying down the hallway. Zea saw Jack running down the hallway, still fixing his jacket and tie as he hurried towards the Kiwi Nation.

"Where the bloody hell were you, Jack?! You should've been here hours ago!" She scolded at the taller Nation.

"S-sorry Kiwi," the Australian wheezed as he caught his breath. "I-I forgot to set my alarm…"

The New Zealander frowned but then noticed that something was off with the Australian. For an instance, his tanned skin was unusually pale. There was a very tired face instead of his usual cheerful and sometimes wild look of a thrill-seeking adventurer. And his eyes...she couldn't explain it but they seemed to have lost their brightness and warmth. "Ah... Jack, are you alright?" Zea asked him with a tone of concern.

"Huh? Yea, I'm alright. Rough sleep, that's all!" He smiled reassuringly. It however, didn't have the same warm effect like it usually does. "Let's go, before the Pom and the others get impatient."

Zea frowned but then noticed what looked like a scar on his hand as the Australian fixed his tie. However she wasn't able to say anything as the Australian walked passed her and through the meeting room doors. She was certain that something was wrong with Jack but couldn't lay a finger on it. She looked outside at the gathering dark clouds through the window.

"It must be the weather..."

Or at least, she hoped it was.

.

.

The World Meeting started off like most meetings...

Alfred coming out with his wacky suggestions and making his hero remarks in his loud voice. Arthur and Francis, also known as France, to no one's surprises arguing with each other again, Ivan or Russia 'unintentionally' frightening the Baltic States whilst trying to stay away from his brother-obsessed sister, Belarus. He and her other sister, Ukraine at the moment was not on speaking terms...thankfully their sitting arrangements were made to give them both some space. Feliciano, North Italy shouting out his trademark "Pasta~" and seated next to him; his brother, Romano or South Italy was cussing at Antonio, Spain to stay away.

Greece had already fallen asleep on his seat. China, otherwise known as Yao, complaining on how insensitive and undisciplined everyone was in the meeting room which Japan or Kiku, in response, quietly giving a sigh while South Korea remarked at how everything originated from him... The Scandinavian Nations chattered amongst themselves with Denmark being the loudest of the five. Switzerland ignoring everything around him... Everyone else were either bored or in a conversation of their own.

It was only when Germany with in his loud strict voice called out for everyone's attention, did the meeting finally processed with its original objection.

Since this particular meeting was held in the Oceanic region, all attending Nations from the said region were seated at the near front of the large and ridiculously long tall, with Australia, as the host Nation, seated at the front just crossed from Germany, America, England and the like. New Zealand seated right next to the tanned Nation.

Not that Zea minded. However that wasn't what concerned her.

Throughout the meeting, the New Zealander kept making glances at her Australian sibling-neighbour and noticed how tired Jack was. There were shadows underneath his worn-out eyes as they tried to stay awake and focus with the meeting in hand. His skin was even paler than before too...

"Hey bro...are you alright?" The Kiwi Nation whispered to the Aussie.

"Huh? Ah...y-yea, I'm alright. No worries," Jack replied in an unusually soft tone. His voice sounded very tired.

Zea simply frowned, "You look ill...are you sure you're feeling okay..?"

"Nah...yeah, mate... I'll be fine, Kiwi."

"I doubt that, Aussie...you look like you haven't been-"

There was a clearing voice from Germany across the table from the Oceanic pair, "Is there anything that you would like to share to the meeting, _Neuseeland_?" Ludwig asked in his strict voice.

"Ah! No..." Zea abruptly quipped.

The German Nation simply nodded before a sigh as he fixed his papers. "Alright then..._bitte_stay attention. There are enough headaches as it is..."

The Kiwi Nation nodded. However it was not the issues and problems being discussed that was aching her head. Glancing over to her oddly quiet and sickly-looking Australian next to her. Something was definitely wrong...but couldn't say what it was and it frustrated her.

Across the table, Arthur also noted the host Nation's illness. "Hmm..."

The clouds outside was beginning to turn grey.

.

.

"Are you sure that you're doing ok? You look very unwell today, Aussie..."

"Yes, I'm fine. I keep telling you, Zea..." Jack reassured his Kiwi sibling-neighbour as they along with the rest of the Nations walked out of the conference room once the meeting was over.

Zea frowned, "Jack, stop being such a stubborn bastard... You're obviously not feeling well... You could have called and said you were legitimately taking a sickie today..."

"What do you mean by '_legitimately_', Kiwi? And I have to come..." Jack pouted. However his voice was sounding increasing mumblingly. His eyes becoming very droopy.

Approaching the pair, Arthur greeted the two with a stiff nod, "Good afternoon, you both." However there was a concerning gaze with his usual gentlemanly stoic facade as he glanced over to the taller Nation.

"Oh hey Pom..." Jack gave a tired grin. "The meeting not too daft for ya..?"

Arthur shrugged, "It could have been better...though I have noticed you're looking more...tired than usual, Jack."

"Ah yeah... Rough sleep last night, that's all." The Australian shrugged, in his tired voice.

The Englishman however frowned concernedly, "Are you sure? You look very ill...you could have called saying that you were sick."

"Sick? Nah, I can't. I mean, I'm the host of today's World Meeting...it'll be very rude of me not to show up at all." Jack attempted to laugh it off weakly, however his head soon started to spin and held his forehead with his hand.

Both Zea and Arthur looked on with growing worry for the Australian's well-being. "Maybe you should sit down..." Zea suggested.

Australia waved it off, "Nah...I'll be...fine, Kiwi." He replied in a much weaker tone. It was so odd and worrying to hear from the usually daring and laidback Nation. His personality, was almost as loud as Alfred's. "...I can't seem to remember..." The Australian started to mutter as if he was trying to recall something from his mind.

"Can't remember what, Aussie?" Zea asked.

"...Something...last night..." Jack murmured in an increasingly weak tone as he suddenly remembered something. He was looking paler by the minute. "...I need to tell you...something..."

"Out with it, Jack," Arthur quipped.

There was an uneasy silence from the Australian. He stumbles back a bit as he tried to keep himself steady. His hand still holding his forehead as if he was having a very pounding migraine...before he suddenly collapsed down onto the marble floor.

"_Aussie!_"

Both England and New Zealand quickly rushed over to the downed Nation's side. "For the love of god...Aussie?!" Zea tried her best to contain her panic as Arthur checked on the Australian. Fast, uneven breathing and his heartbeat pounding against his chest. His tanned skin had now become pale, almost white and was cold to touch.

Other Nations nearby soon took notice of what had just happened. "Dudes, what happened?" Alfred was first to the scene along with his brother, Matthew who was right behind him. Both North American brothers looked down in shock when they saw the unconscious Australian on the ground.

"Jack...he just suddenly collapsed!" England cursed as he called the local emergency medical service through his phone.

Other Nations gathered around as both North American brothers helped New Zealand bring Australia's weak body onto one of large lounge seats in the main hall.

"_Ve~ What's wrong with Mister Australia?_"

"_Mon Dieu...what happened?!_"

"_Is he having a fever aru?_"

New Zealand however did not pay any attention to the surrounding commotion. Her attention was focused on the ill-stricken Australian. Her hand pressing on Jack's forehead that covered with cold sweat. He was breathing more shallowly and unevenly as if he was struggling for breath. _This does not make any sense... He should be fine. Aussie's far stronger against illness than this._

Squeezing through the crowds and up front, her rich brown skin and long silk black hair tied into a ponytail that swung side to side as she hurried towards the ill-stricken Australian, Indonesia stood next to Zea by Jack's side of the large lounge. "What's wrong with Australia?" Nesia asked the Kiwi Nation with shock and worry like everyone else when she saw the Australian's weak state.

Zea shook her head, "Honestly...I don't know."

Indonesia frowned at that, giving the New Zealander a soft nod and returned her attention back to the Australian. Her eyes however followed down to the Australian's hand that had a scar on it. Her hand hover close to it and sensed something emanating off from the scar. Her eyes narrowed as her finger came closer to the scar, just an inch away when she suddenly felt a chill up through her arm and down her spine. The Indonesian pulled away from the scar. _What was that chill I just sensed?_

"What's wrong?" The Kiwi Nation asked at the Asian Nation. Her question however was cut off when a crash of lightning struck outside the windows of the conference building, startling many Nations inside as the sound of rain begun to ponder heavily.

"_Maybe, it is the weather? I mean Australia's weather here is very freaky and extreme sometimes, ah?_"

"Perhaps..." England quipped as he hung up his phone after calling for an hand wiping his forehead as he looked down at the ill Australian, "The ambulance should be here any moment now." At the back of his mind however, the Englishman sensed that something else was going on... He knew the Australian long enough to know what kind of person that Jack had grown himself to be since his early days as the former Empire's colony. _Penal colony_. He shook that thought off his mind and looked back at the stormy weather outside. _Jack's far more resilient when it comes to extreme weather events such as this.__ Something's absolutely off here_. _But what?!_

Arthur even spotted Russia looking outside and clinging onto his scarf with a rare uneasy expression. "I never sensed a cold like this before..." Ivan muttered in soft Russian. It was not very often to see the Russian Nation expressing like this and for him to do so, it was a harbinger. _And come to think of it, the room's seemed to have gone a bit colder too..._Arthur noted to himself.

Above the chattering of concern and worry, the sound of ringtones and mobile phones calling filled through the hallway.

"_Hola? ...Que, you want me to go back to the embassy now?_"

"_What do you mean that they just issued a weather warning?!_"

"_Dude, I thought it was going to be sunny today..._"

"_That weather front just came out of nowhere..._"

Arthur, Zea and Nesia looked at the crowd of their fellow Nations with many on their phones as their own phones rang with a text message instead, sent from their respective embassies in the Australian capital, concerning to the sudden deteriorating weather events that was happening right now.

Looking back down at the sick Australian. _This is happening all too sudden... _Arthur shook his head before clearing his voice, "Everyone, go back to your respective diplomats! If this weather is another freak event, it is best if we stay safe for now. We'll take care of Australia until the emergency ambulance arrives here."

There were unsure looks exchanged before many of the Nations obliged and started heading towards the front entrance of the buildings. Their coats readied and umbrellas provided by local staffs who themselves were just as worried for their ill-stricken Nation and were uneasy by the freak weather outside the building. One commented how very unusual and wild the storm was. Arthur also noted that there was a sense of _dread_ and ill-fate amongst the Australian staff members.

Once most of the other Nations had left the building, Arthur sighed with a tint of relief as he turned back to the Australian. Only to notice that both Alfred and Matthew remained behind with him, New Zealand and Indonesia. "You two lads are still here?"

"Come on limey, Aussie's sick! And as the hero, I should be helping one of my best buddies get better and back onto his feet asap!" Alfred exclaimed.

Matthew nodded, "Yes...though, I'm also here to look out for Al." He patted his polar bear cub on its head. The Canadian's bear cub however was unnerved by the freak storm that continued to rage on outside, "Is something the matter, Kumahima?" Canada asked concernedly to the bear cub.

Coming around the corner, Sealand and Wy, who was carrying Australia's koala noticed that many of the big Nations were leaving the building despite the stormy weather outside.

"Hey jerk England! Why is everyone leaving?" Sealand or Peter called out as he and Wendy approached the group of Nations. When they did however, it was then the Australian Micronation saw Jack's ill state, "What happened to Aussie?!" She gasped in shock.

Zea came over to Wy's side and tried to calm the increasingly distressed Micronation, "Wendy, it'll be alright..."

"Alright?! How is this alright?!"

"Yes...I know this looks bad but I need you to calm down. You are a big girl, right?" The Kiwi Nation reassured the young girl.

Wy stared down at the New Zealander with teary eyes before nodding. Quickly wiping away her tears before her fellow Micronation could see them. "...What happened to Aussie, Zea?!" She asked, almost demanding.

New Zealand frowned before shaking her head, "I don't know..." She looked back to the unconscious pale Australian before turning back to the young Micronation, "B-But I know that...he's going to be okay." Zea tried to smile reassuringly to Wy, but she knew that was a lie...

Indonesia sympathetised with the Kiwi Nation. She sighed softly and turned back to the ill Australia on the long couch before her. She noticed the Australian's koala jumping up onto the couch and nudging on its companion. Its usual red glaring eyes were replaced with ones of deep concern. A rare sight to see from the normally dead-glaring marsupial.

"I...I don't understand. Jack was fine this morning...just tired before we came here." Wy muttered.

This perked New Zealand's attention. As well as England's.

"Wendy, can you tell me what you and Jack been doing this morning before coming here?" Zea asked her softly.

The Micronation shrugged, "Well, I was the first to wake up earlier this morning...which was strange because Aussie is usually awake before I do. So I went to his room, saw he was still asleep and woke him up. When he did, he saw the time and sorta immediately jumped out of bed, screaming that he was late for the meeting...and here we are."

Zea nodded. "...Did you notice anything...out of the ordinary about Jack?"

Wy thought deeply as she recalled what they did earlier in the day, "...I noticed that Jack was still wearing his clothes from last night. They looked ragged...like he went bush walking last night."

"Bush walking?" Zea was puzzled. She knew that the Australian was an adventurous spirit for the outdoors but surely never that late at night. _Something must have happened last night..._

Sometime later since the last of the attending Nations were gone, the paramedic officers arrived with a wheeled stretcher ready for the ill-stricken Australian. Matthew and Alfred helped lift the Australian into the stretcher, he was quite heavy guy. Just as the paramedics checked to make sure that the stretcher was secured, Jack begun to stir up, as if he was trying to wake up...

Alarmed, Zea walked to the Australian's side. As she did, she was suddenly grabbed on the wrist by the pale Australian's scarred hand with a tight squeeze. "Jack?" Zea gasped and had her other hand over Jack's. However as soon as her hand touched the scar, the New Zealander felt a sudden jolt running through her as her vision suddenly shifted away from the conference hall to dark thick bushland...

. . .

_Wha... Where am I?!_ She tried to yell those words out but her voice did not give out a sound. She first tried to get bearings of her surroundings around the darkness as the light of the moon in the night sky she saw was taken away by the dark clouds. _Is this a dream...a vision?_

Then the second the New Zealander heard a crack in the air, she narrowly missed being impaled with the series of flying spears before jumping away from the attack. _What is going on?! _She wanted to scream out those words, confusion wirling through her mind.

As she tried to get hold of her senses, Zea suddenly saw in forward of her, her Australian sibling-neighbour, Jack sliding through the ground before getting down to one knee with his arm to support himself from falling to his sides. He took a brief moment to catch his breath and was clearly trying to hide his exhaustion. Sore with cold sweat on his forehead. There was also a hint of pain in his voice. Zea also noted of Jack's battered state with his grim-covered clothes partially torn.

Then, a cold and sinister laughter boomed through the air. Zea looked up and her eyes widened in shock and terror when she saw what looked like a tall ghostly dark humanoid being, towering before her and her Australian brother with long thin arms ending with sharp claws, those haunting hollow eyes that glowed sinisterly and a smile full of sharp teeth. _W-What is that thing?!_

"_Give up, Keeper!_" The dark creatures demanded in a hissing-like voice. "_Your efforts to prevent the possession of the Sacred Flame from my hands are useless!_"

_Sacred Flame?_

Jack winced as he stood up before the towering dark spirit. The New Zealander could have sworn that the Australian was glowing with a fire-like aura emitting from his body. "I am not giving up that easily! You should know that by now mate!" He shouted back with each pant of breath. His hand that had the cut that was yet to hurt, curled into a tight fist as the aura glowed brightly with power. "Until my very last breath!"

Then to Zea's shock, the Australian Nation ran towards the dark creature in lightning speed that she had never seen her sibling-neighbour able to do before catapulting himself several feet off the ground and with fixed glaring eyes, he unleashed a massive and powerful jet stream of fire from his hands at the dark creature. Drowning the creature in flames as it shrilled.

It was the most incredible thing the New Zealander had ever witnessed from her brother._S-Since when was he capable of doing that?!_

Australia dropped down onto the ground as thick smoke from his attack covered the bush grounds around him. The burning aura around him died down with each breath as his body relaxed a bit from the tension when he thought that it was suddenly over.

However...the shadow of the dark creature stood in tact through the smoke. "_What?!_" Jack's eye widened in shock and horror.

There was a dark and evil smirk from the dark being, "**_It's mine_**." His long sharp claw lunged through the thick smoke and stabbed Jack right on his chest.

Zea gasped in shock. _Aussie!_ She wanted to reach out for him but could only hopelessly watch as her brother gasped in pain.

Jack yelped in pain as the dark creatures' claw dug deeper into his chest and ripped out a bright tiny flickering flame from the Australian's body. He let out a sharp painful gasp and collapsed onto the ground. Clenching onto his chest with each breathless wheeze, his skin suddenly turning pale as he wincingly tried to look up at the dark creature. In its long thin claw, the tiny Sacred Flame. "No... Please," The defeated Nation wheezed as he desperately tried to reach for the flame, "...give it...back..."

Kirroo smirk coldly as he looked down at the flicking flame in his claws before giving the defeated Australian one triumphantly smug in a sinister matter before disappearing into the shadows.

The last thing Zea saw was her brother's body collapsing before her vision blacked out.

. . .

"..._Zea...!_"

Gasping back to reality, the New Zealander saw that Indonesia had her hand on the Kiwi Nation's shoulder. "Are you...Are you alright?" She asked with concern.

Still speechless by what she witnessed, Zea glanced down to find that she was still holding onto Australia's scarred hand. Jack then let his hand slip off her grip as he finally gave himself to exhaustion... There was still that pained look as he sank deeper into an uneasy slumber. Before Zea could say anything, the paramedic officers however wheeled the unconscious Australian away to a waiting ambulance outside.

England noted her confused but distressed look. "New Zealand," He approached the short female Nation. "...You saw a vision didn't you?"

Zea looked up to her former colonial "carer". _How did you- _She however sighed audibly and took a moment before a deep breath, "You won't believe what I saw."

.

In another part of the building...

An elderly Aborigine man looked out of the large window as a bolt of lightning struck over the sky as he spotted an ambulance rushing away through the heavy rain.

He could sense through his skin an unsettling coldness in the air from the sky to the grounds. And it was not from the storm that had taken over the sky. Because deep down, there was a dreary sense that something was taken away from this world.

"My god...the Flame has been lost."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Class started last week and I wanted to finish this before the end of October.

Originally, Indonesia wasn't supposed to have a role in this fic...but the Hetalia historical doujinshi "Maaf" by dinosaurusgede on deviantArt said otherwise. Go check it out! Its one of the best Hetalia fan comics out there!

Oh and, anything between ". . ." is a flashback/dreamscape because I can't use the tilde sign here on ...

_Next chapter: Chapter 5 - The Songline_  
_Should be done sometime on November. _

Until then, Happy Halloween~ :D


	5. PREVIEW - The Songline

_**Author's note:** I'm very sorry for the delay! Writer's block and lots of stuff happening. It might be a month or so until the full chapter is completed..._

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Songline**

_All he felt was this constant feeling of agony;  
__A burning sensation from within.  
__Yet at the same time, he felt cold. __Like needles piercing all over his skin._

_On his body. In his mind. And most painfully, through his spirit._

_He struggled to feel anything else but this pain.  
__He tried to move but was tightly restrained by an unknown force._

_He was conscious but he couldn't open his eyes._

_He could hear through in this empty dark realm.  
__The rage of bushfires. Thunder and rain of storms. Gusty winds of a cyclone.  
__But above all, he heard screams. Pleads for help. Thoughts of dread._

_He could hear not only the people's sufferance...  
__The entire continent. Life on the land and people...they're dying._

_That's when he remembered; "No this can't be! The Flame-"_

_A sudden shot of sharp pain torn through his conscience.  
__He shrieked in sufferance before blacking out back into the darkness._

.

"Weird...the rain just stopped in this part of the road..."

America commented as the car continued to drive through the long and lonely road towards Australia's home in the bush, a few kilometres outside of the Australian federal capital. It had been pouring down heavily with rain over the Bush Capital and the surrounding areas. As the car drove closer to the location of the house, the rain suddenly stopped and gave way to open clear skies. There was a large wide opening to the blue sky above like a punch through the dark clouds. They could see the large towering storm clouds surrounding them, it was frightening.

On the driver's seat, "We should be in Jack's home in a few minutes," Arthur said as he turned to a corner off from the main road. Next to the Englishman was Alfred who stared out of the window to the strange dark cloud formation below. The two earlier argued who should drive the car. England only won because not only was America unfamiliar about driving on the left but he also didn't know where Jack's Canberra home was. In fact, he kept forgetting that Canberra's the actual national capital city of Australia. Not Sydney...or Melbourne.

Sitting at the back, Nesia, the Indonesian Nation was looking through her phone for news report and weather forecast in regards to this freak storm. Next to her, Zea stared out of the car window as the area around them became more rugged as they neared the Australian's home. On her lap was her Australian sibling-neighbour's red-eyed koala who looked worried about the huge storm cell and what had happened to its owner. Zea's own thought however also remained with Jack.

"Looks like this storm isn't just in this part of country, it's widespread! It's covering much of the eastern parts of the country," Nesia said with a grim frown. "There's another storm cell coming from the south-west...and a cyclone has developed off the coast of Western Australia. It is going to hit landfall tomorrow and might still manage strength as it travels inwards through the continent."

"Bloody hell," Arthur gulped while he remained focus onto the road, "Weather here may be bloody ridiculous...but this is far too extreme!"

This news did not bring any comfort for the already worrisome New Zealander. The koala did not take the news too well either by that forecast. Both marsupial and Nation knew Jack long enough to know how extreme weather affects him.

Australia was known as a "hot-blooded" Nation, and he literally was, his body emitting a warm aura around him that could easily counter even the coldness that surrounds Ivan. His touch, at times, able to leave faint burn marks on wood if he concentrated. As the land of drought and rain, Jack was more tolerant of extreme weather than other Nations. However it didn't mean that he wasn't affected by them. He'll boil up with a high fever that borderline with hyperthermia if there were widespread heatwave and raging bushfires. And if it were sudden flooding rains and cyclones, the Australian would become pale and drained, sometimes with the sensation of drowning.

With the current, bizarre and sudden weather that casted over much of the continent, there was no doubt that this extreme weather event will have an immediate affect the already ill-stricken Australian whose being hospitalised as they spoke. _It'll only worsen his illness..._ Zea thought. An image of near-dying Australia suddenly flashed through her mind. She then however shook off that thought out of her mind.

"Then we better hurry!" The New Zealander urged, "The sooner we get to Jack's house, the better!"

"Right," England nodded and drove the car slightly faster through empty road.

"Do you think we'll be able to find those...umm...music lines?"

"Songlines, Alfred..." The Englishman corrected him, "...and if what the Aboriginal elder said is true, then we will just have to go with it. It's our only lead so far to find Jack. Especially with the time we have..."

Zea nodded. She looked out of the window to the towering storm clouds; they looked to be darkening ever more.

. . .

_Earlier in the day..._

.

.

.

[full version; coming soon]


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